The recoil of a fire arm resulting from its discharge is a well known phenomenon, and one which is in inherent to a greater or lesser extent in the operation of all fire arms. The recoil problem not only results in discomfort to the shooter, but seriously adversely affects the results obtained. The basic design of fire arms such as pistols, rifles, shot guns, and other similar weapons especially those commonly referred to as "handguns", as well as the manner in which they must be physically held during firing, tends to cause the muzzle to move upward, or "rise", when the weapon is fired. At the same time, a sudden backward movement of the gun is produced, known as "kick". Both these effects are particularly noticeable in connection with the firing of automatic or semi-automatic weapons, causing inaccuracy. In addition, the shooter's anticipation of the recoil tends to cause "flinching" as the weapon is fired, i.e., jerking of the weapon as the trigger is pulled, also resulting in inaccuracy.
The forces of recoil and their adverse effects have long been recognized; consequently, they have been the subject of much study, and a great deal of effort has been spent on attempting to eliminate, or at least to minimize them. The recoil force basically is comprised of three elements: the first of these is the action/reaction of the bullet accelerating within the barrel of the fire arm. The second, similar recoil effect is due to the acceleration of the propellant gases in the process of driving the bullet down the barrel. The reactive effect of the aforementioned elements is inherent in the discharge of a fire arm; consequently, little if anything can be done to eliminate it without adversely affecting the forces of acceleration which produce the desired muzzle velocity of the weapon's projectile.
The third element of the recoil force, and the one which as a practical matter produces about half of the recoil energy, is that produced by the rocket-like effect imparted to the fire arm when the bullet leaves its barrel and the trapped gases are released. These gases rush out of the barrel, pushing the fire arm backwards due to reaction, the same way that a modern rocket is propelled upwards at the moment of launch by the exiting propellant gases. It is this element of the recoil, which can be altered without detrimentally affecting the firing process, which the device of the invention disclosed herein seeks to minimize with the beneficial results obtained thereby.
As mentioned, the recoil phenomonen, and the problems associated therewith, have been recognized almost since the first fire arm was discharged, and, there have been numerous attempts to avoid the difficulty. One method which has been employed involves the addition of extra weight to various parts of the gun, thereby increasing its mass, and correspondingly reducing the recoil velocity. While this solution beneficially minimizes the problems associated with recoil, it results in additional problems. For example, when additional weight is incorporated in a fire arm, it gives rise to target acquisition problems such as "swing by", produced by the additional momentum resulting from the added weight, which causes the weapon to overtravel its intended aiming point. Numerous other approaches, including the provision of gas escape ports at right angles to the weapon's barrel, have also been resorted to in an effort to reduce the amount of propulsion gases discharged in the direction longitudinal to the weapon's barrel, so as to decrease the reactive focces associated therewith Such attempts, and the devices related thereto, have in many instances enjoyed some success. However, they have had problems attendant to them, including such things as generally high noise levels, and the discharge of propellant debris towards the shooter, thus interfering with aiming of the weapon. In some instances, these devices have also resulted in difficulties with the automatic ejection of spent cartridge casings, and the cleaning and maintenance of such devices generally has been a problem.